Attachment for machines for coiling metal



- June 14, 1932. M MGRO 1,863,064

I ATTACHMENT FOR MACHINES FOR COILING METAL Filed Aug. 12, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet l G 0 a 7 1 5 P a 1! June 14, 1932 M. NIGRO 1,863,064

ATTACHMENT FOR MACHINES FOR COILING METAL Filed Aug. 12. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 14, 1932 MICHEL NIGRO, F WORCESTER, MASSAGI-IU IN'Q, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS,

SETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SLEEPER 6c HARTLEY,

A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS ATTACHMENT FOR -415 CHIN ES FOR COILING METAL Application filed August 12, 1929, Serial No. 385,234, and in Sweden May 31, 1929.

The present invention relates generally to machines for coiling metal, such as springmaking machines or machines for making lock Washers by the severance, at intervals,

of metal strip coiled into helical form.

As an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, it is shown in connection with a machine of the type shown and described in the patent to Frank H. Sleeper, No. 1,761,279 issued June 3, 1930, namely a machine for making lock washers. This machine is particularly characterized by the continuous coiling of metal stock in helical form and the severance of individual convolutions of the helix at predetermined intervals, without interrupting the coiling operation, thereby forming separate washers in rapid succession. In operation, the abovedescribed machine is adapted to forcibly feed stock at a predetermined rate to rotating rolls and a rotating mandrel which function to continuously form the stock into a helical coil, and the object of the present invention is to provide means cooperating with the coiling devices of the above-described machine to insure that there will be no interruption in the operation of the machine to produce washers when a length or bundle of stock runs out and the end of a fresh bundle or length of stock is directed to the feeding rolls.

Briefly stated, the present invention contemplates the provision of a preliminary deflector for the stock so designed and so disposed with respect to the coiling instrumentalities that when the advancing end of a piece of stock encounters the deflector, the stock will be readily deflected for formation into a helix, without interrupting the continuous operation of the machine. With this preliminary deflection of the stock accomplished, the deflector becomes inoperative during the normal coiling of the stock into helical form, although it is always ready to function upon the approach of a new end of stock. The above and other advantageous features of my invention will hereinafter more fully appear with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l is a view in front elevation of a machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of a portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing on an enlarged scale a portion of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary view, showing in side elevation the mounting of the deflector. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the functioning of the deflector and cooperating coiling devices.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the preliminary deflector removed from the machine.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Referring first to Fig. l, the machine comprises a suitable base 1 providing an upwardly extending standard 2 in which are mounted rotatably driven coiling rolls 3, 3 journalled in bearing blocks 4i vertically adjustable on the standard 2 by means of screws 5, 5. A coiling mandrel 6 is rotatably mounted between the rolls 3 and means are provided for driving the rolls 3 and the mandrel 6 in unison, all as fully shown and described in the aforesaid Sleeper patent.

Stock S in the form of metal strip is fed to the rolls 3 and mandrel 6 by means of rotatably driven feed rolls 7, 7 which grip the stock S and by their rotation feed it into a 7 suitable guide 8 from which it emerges with its lower edge substantially tangent to the periphery of the mandrel 6. The upper coiling roll 3 is provided with a shouldered portion 9 for receiving the stock S as it emerges from the guide 8 and holding it close to the I surface of the mandrel 6, and the lower roll provides a groove 10 which is displaced from upper shoulder 9 along the axis of the mandrel 6 so as to cause the coiled stock to assume a pitch-ed form as it is fed to the coiling device by the feed rolls 7, see Fig. 3.

'In order to hold the stock closely to the mandrel 6 between the upper and lower rolls 3, the machine further provides a coiling tool such as a roll 11 providing a surface of revo- 'erally triangular peripheries of the lution 11a considerably smaller in diameter than either of the driven rolls 3, the periphcry of the roll surface 11a being spaced from the arbor 6 just the thickness of the stock S. The roll 11 is rotatably supported at its ends in bearings 12 carried by the arms 13a of a bracket 13 that is adjustable with respect to the mandrel 6 on a holder 14 mounted on the frame. As shown in Figs. 4: and 5, the bracket 13 is adapted to be adjusted in two planes with respect to the mandrel 6 by means of studs 15 cooperating with bolts 15a received in elongated slots provided in the bearing bracket holder 1 1.

While the above-described mechanism is adapted to coil the stock S into helical form, when once the stock has been bent around the arbor so that it is engaged by all three of the coiling rolls 3 and 11, it'is obvious that should the advancing end of a; new piece of stock be fed directly in a straight'line between the upper roll 3 and the mandrel 6, the end of the stock would tend to jam into the space between the upper driven roll 3 and the coiling roll 11; and itis the object of the present invention to provide means whereby the advancing end of a new piece of stock will be immediately deflected around the mandrel 6 to the coiling surface 11a of the roll 11 without interrupting the operation of the machine.

To this end there is disposed in the genspace between the upper roll 3 and the roll 11 a deflector 16 which substantially fills this triangular space, the details of construction of which areshown in Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive. The deflector 16 provides a curved surface 17 having substantially the same radius of curvature of the helix being coiled, and contiguous to this surface 17 are two other curved surfaces 18 and 19 having substantially the same radii as the rolls 3 and 11 respectively. triangular-shaped form The generally.

bounded by the surfaces 17,18 and 19 projects forwardly from a body portion 20 of the deflector which extends downwardly and terminates in a lug 21 providing an opening 22 for loosely receiving a pin 23 projecting from the inner arm 13a of the bearing bracket 13 of roll 11, see Fig. 4. The body portion 20 provides a curved surface 2 1 having substantially the same radius as the periphery of the arbor 6 which is shown in section in Fig. 6 as having been cut off in a vertical plane parallel with a flat surface 25 extending between the curved surfaces 17 and 2 1. This flat surface 25 extends around and joins the curved surface 19 at right angles so that the periphery of the roll 11 flts closely in the angle between the surfaces19 and 25.

' When the advancing end of a new pieceof stock S engages the surface 17 ofv the deflector 16, as indicated ill Fig. 6, it is deflected downwardly around the arbor'6 in the space bounded by the curved surface 17, the flat surface and the periphery of the arbor itself. Consequently, the stock is easily formed into a helix as it continues to be forcibly fed by the rolls 7, the roll 11 below the deflector 16 serving to guide the deflected stock into the space between the arbor and the lower roll 3.

'Therefore continued feeding of the stock S and the resulting diameter of the helix is then governed'bythe position of the roll 11. As

a consequence there is but little frictional engagement between the stock and the curved surface 17 of the deflector when the helix is being coiled, since the deflector is freelymounted and tends to lie back in the triangular space between'the upper roll 3 and the middle roll 11. However, when a length or bundle of stock runs out and the end of a new length is fed to the coiling devices immediately behind the retreating end of the previous length, then the deflector 16 becomes immediately effective to bend the advancing end of the new length of stock around the arbor 6, so that it is readily formed into a helix, and there is no interruption in the continuous operation of the machine to coil thestock into helical form and sever washers therefrom, as previously described.

It is therefore apparentthat the essential function of the member 16 whether it is used .as shown, or in any other assemblage of coilis that of a preliminary deflector as to completely fill the normally ing tools, so designed open space that lies in the direct path of the advancing end of a newpiece of stock, and to deflect it into engagement with such coiling tools. VVit-h this preliminary deflection accomplished, the member 16 becomes inoperative during the normal coiling of the stock although it is always ready to function upon the approach of a new end of stock, or in case the stock breaks in its passage through the machine. Obviously the deflector. can be readily attached to, or incorporated in, other types of machines for coiling metal in which metal strip is forcibly fed in astraight line to the coiling instrumentalities.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with means for feeding metal stock and means for coiling the stock into helical form comprising a mandrel, a rotatably driven coiling rolloooperating with said mandrel, anda coiling tool providing a surface of revolution smaller in diameter than said coiling roll and substantially tangent to the coiling surface of said roll, of a stock defiector providing a triangular portion substantially filling the space between said coiling roll, said coiling tool and stock coiled on said mandrel, with the faces of said triangular portion corresponding to the curvature of said coiling roll, said coiling tool and said mandrel, respectively.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with means for feeding metal stock and means for coiling the stock into helical form comprising a mandrel, a rotatably driven coiling roll providing a shoulder for confining the stock to the mandrel as it is fed, and a rotatably supported guide roll having its surface spaced from the mandrel the thickness of the stock and substantially tangent to the shoulder on said coiling roll, of a stock deflector providing a body portion having the curvature of said mandrel and an offset triangular portion substantially filling the space between the shoulder on said coiling roll, the tangent surface of said guide roll and the surface of stock coiled on said mandrel.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination with means for feeding metal stock, and means for coiling the stock into helical form comprising a mandrel, a rotatably driven coiling roll providing a shoulder for confining the stock to the mandrel as it is fed, and a rotatably supported guide l I roll having its surface spaced from the mandrel the thickness of the stock and substantially tangent to the shoulder on said coiling roll, of a stock deflector comprising a body portion pivotally mounted on an axis parallel to the axis of said mandrel and an offset triangular portion partially overhanging the shoulder on said coiling roll to substantially fill the space bounded by the shoulder of said coiling roll, the tangent surface of said guide roll and the surface of stock coiled on said mandrel.

MICHEL N IGRO. 

